[Removed user]

2 March 2019 at 16:02:20 #820186

My husband and I are coming from the US where we have a lot of local wineries to visit, so we are excited to spend a few days in Lausanne near the Lavaux Vineyards. In the US, the wineries have a schedule of open times, you show up without a reservation, and pay a tasting fee $8-15 per person to try the wines at that vineyard. There is no expectation that you have to buy any bottles to take home, but you can. I see that the vineyards in Lavaux are all family owned and separate. Most of their websites are in French so it’s hard to find out their tasting info. I would like to know if we have to make reservations for wine tastings, how much they cost, etc.

I know of the Vinorama which will be great to try wines from different vineyards right next to each other. We will probably stop here, but we are also looking for the Swiss wine experience, hopefully with not a huge price tag.

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[Snowman]

2 March 2019 at 21:57:05 #905343

Hello Kelseynburch

You can try here. In French, indeed, but scroll down to Contactez-nous, you’ll get to a dialogue box where you can place your question in English. Maybe not appropriate to you, it’s by appointment, for groups of 10 or more.

So try this. you land on a site with fr en de option (top right), but no matter what, it will be in French… (terrible, I know, but you may find out that the web sites of wineries in Pennsylvania are in the local language too…). They claim they hold visits any time except on Sunday, in French or English or German, for individuals or groups. A bit pricey, CHF 185 per person for two hours excluding winetasting…. You may contact the guide, Mr Baumann: <removed>

Well, checking again, there is this page in English, but the information there is not comprehensive.

I have visited only one winery in Lavaux, at the personnal invitation of the owner, who holds an open house twice a year and expects visitors to buy boxes of bottles (which we gladly do, the wine is excellent!).

Labor is expensive in Switzerland, and the number of tourists who might show up is small, which is why they have settled to have the Vinorama which you know, it centralizes the visits.

The best opportunity for you would be the Open Cellar Days. The only constraint is the date, in 2019 that would be June 8 and June 9. The passport costs CHF 50 per person. The “passport” is in fact a wine glass which you will use for wine tasting and as a ticket for the free shuttle bus. You can visit as many wineries as you can… Not only in Lavaux, but in the entire Canton Vaud.

So much on what I know, but I am not aware of all opportunities. Good luck.

Snowman

[Removed user]

2 March 2019 at 23:32:36 #905344

Vineyards are not just in the Lavaux area, they are all around the north side of Lake Geneva. Like all wine making areas, if you travel around the area you will see ‘degustation’ signs where there are small vineyards offering tastings

http://www.lavaux-vinorama.ch

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http://www.swissrivierawineto urs.com/fr/wine-tours/circuit-viticole-guidé-dans-lavaux